Poland OKs Auchan's €1B Buy Of Metro's Eastern Europe Ops

Law360, New York (January 21, 2014, 6:47 PM EST) -- Polish anti-monopoly regulators signed off on French retail giant Groupe Auchan SA’s €1.1 billion (US$1.49 billion) takeover of German rival Metro AG’s eastern European operations Tuesday on the condition that Auchan sells off a portion of its holdings in the country.

Poland’s Office of Competition and Consumer Protection, known as UOKiK, said Auchan must sell eight of its 27 Simply Market stores in the country, which operate under its subsidiary, Elea Poland, regulators said.

Although the antitrust investigation authority technically fell under the European Union, the...